Japan's population declines for 15th consecutive year

(Patria) - According to government data, Japan's population has declined for the 15th consecutive year, AP reported.

The number of births in Japan last year reached a record low of 730,000 and a record high of 1.58 million deaths. Japan had 124.9 million inhabitants on January 1.

Data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs also shows that an 11 percent increase in the number of foreign residents helped their population exceed three million for the first time.

They now make up nearly three percent of the total population and are mostly of working age, between 15 and 64.

Surveys show that younger Japanese are increasingly reluctant to marry or have children,
discouraged by bleak job prospects, high living costs that rise faster than wages, and a gender-biased corporate culture that further burdens women and working mothers.

The government has set aside 5.3 trillion yen ($34 billion) as part of the 2024 budget to fund incentives for young couples to have more children, such as increasing subsidies for childcare and education, and is expected to spend 3.6 trillion yen ($23 billion) from taxes annually over the next three years.

Experts say the measures are mainly aimed at married couples planning to have or who already have children, and do not address the growing number of young people who do not want to get married.

Japan's population is projected to fall by about 30 percent, to 87 million by 2070, when four out of ten people will be 65 or older.